Time
by WonderNA
Summary: No one is immune from the effects of time. Not those who live for eons nor those who travel through it. This story is about them and their time together. Complete...
1. Chapter 1

The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

I know i said i would not start another chapter story but this one just would not leave me alone. It won't be long i promise maybe 10 short chapters.

****

Kagome sat in the bottom of the well her nails dug into the dirt as she sat there, her back leaned up against the old wood and tears streamed down her face. This was the place she went when she couldn't take it anymore. When her time had become too much. It had been six months since Inuyasha had brought her back after the final battle with Naraku and she had found it hard to adjust. Not just from losing her friends but from losing the world she loved. This time was so different. So modern. The nature she loved was gone, the air not as crisp, the water not as pure.

"Come on Sis, it's time for school." Sota yelled as he walked by the well house. He knew she was in there. She always was.

Kagome climbed up her ladder and threw on her backpack over the rim, as she opened the door the smog filled her lungs causing her to cough. She wondered if it was because she had been away so long that she no longer had a tolerance for this modern environment.

Once school was over Kagome walked back home, she missed an entire year of school and yet had no problems catching up, she loathed the busy work, all she wanted to do was go back into the well and forget all about her lessons in social consumerism. She walked a different way home today in hopes that she would see something that would remind her of her life in the feudal era. As she passed a hospital a familiar tingle went through her body. She stopped in front of the building and felt the tingle again.

She walked to the door and the feeling strengthened, she began to wander through the halls aimlessly trying to find the source of this familiar power. The closer she got the more confused she became. She knew who this was. 'Why are you following this, looking for him?' Her mind screamed as she got closer. The feeling got stronger and stronger. She stopped in front of a door, her body and mind screamed danger but her curiosity and hope was enough to quell those feelings.

Kagome placed her hands on the door as she contemplated her next step, thoughts racing through her mind. 'He might kill me...we might not have been enemies when I left but...'

'Would that be so bad?' Her mind taunted back, she had been rather melancholy these past months and her thoughts almost welcomed the idea. Kagome smirked and pushed the door open. "You're right, it wouldn't be so bad."

The door slowly opened, Kagome looked into the room, confusion all over her face, and there was no doctor, just a bunch of machines. The fluids and beeping making her head throb as the adrenaline in her system continued to pump through her.

She focused searching for the only link to the world she missed so much, then it hit her. The bed there was a patient in the bed, hooked up to various machines through IV's attached to various parts of the body. There was a mask on his face, sensors and bands covering his entire body.

Her mind screamed as she noticed a strand of silver hair that had somehow betrayed the confines of all of the machines connections and gotten free.

She began to step forward when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Miss I think you are in the wrong room." A friendly voice told her.

Kagome turned abruptly to see an elderly nurse. "No this is the right room." Kagome stuttered out.

"So you know this patient?" The nurse asked, the surprise in her words and expression confused the young woman.

"Yes, I know him." Kagome said as she turned to look back at the bed, at the man laying there.

The nurse smiled at the girl. "In all of the thirty years I have worked here this man has been in this room. He has never once had a visitor."

Kagome looked at the woman. "Thirty years? How can that be? Why was he admitted?"

The nurse smiled sadly. "We don't know he predates most of us, his condition never changes it is always the same. The more advanced we get the more machines we hook him up to. I am not sure if he is even considered a patient anymore, he is more like a project." The nurse said, an odd sign of accomplishment in her voice for having been a part of this experiment for so long.

Kagome shuddered at the woman's confession. Anger flickered at her tongue. "How dare you!?" She spat out before she could contain herself. "Do you have any idea who this man is!?" Kagome yelled. The only tie she had to what she had lost was here and this was how they were treating him.

The nurse just stared at the girl, she had to be family if she was acting this way. "Yes young lady I do know who he is. He is..." The nurse grabbed his chart. "Sesshoumaru Higarashi. That's who he is." The woman said and she turned around and walked out.

Kagome watched the woman leave, the shock from her words flowing over her. She turned abruptly and walked to the bed. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her heart pounded. 'How could they just treat him like this?' The girl wondered. 'Why is he letting this happen?' She sat on the bed next to him. Her hands searching for open skin to make sure he was real. When her hands collided with his warmth tears pricked at her eyes. 'Sesshoumaru Higurashi? Why is he called by my name?' Kagome let the thoughts run through as more and more confusion and pain was added to her already depressed mood, she began to pull at the foreign objects attached to Sesshoumaru. Kagome finally got his face free, she cupped it in her hands. The machines began to beep wildly as they could no longer detect life. She gasped as she finally could see him. His markings were faded, his hair though silver was a very dull shade. Her hands traced the fading marks.

"You have been here for thirty years." She whispered as she took in the image of the fading demon lord. His eyes began to flutter at the sound of her voice.

A fierce determination filled her at the sign of life from him, she began to pull out all of his IV's, removing all of the tubing and bands. In the middle of the destruction the machine connected to his heart gave off the warning that he was going into cardiac arrest. Kagome finished removing all of the devices right when two orderlies came in with the nurse and the doctor. She was not sure what drove her, she wanted to believe it was the need to save him. But she knew better. She wanted a link and he could offer her that.

Kagome composed herself as they looked at her and then to the mess of tubing and other medical related items. She glared at the two men who started to approach her. "This man is my family, and I will not allow you to treat him like this anymore. Give me the release papers! I am taking him home."

With that she went and sat on the bed with a fading Sesshoumaru. The hospital could not disprove her claim. They had the same last name. She knew of the odd birthmarks on his wrist. So after a few signatures Kagome was pushing Sesshoumaru down the street in a wheelchair.


	2. Chapter 2

Now that she had him what should she do with him? As she contemplated a truck drove by filling the air surrounding them with smoke.

"I've got to get him out of here." She thought. She quickly got home and packed supplies. Her mother didn't question her daughter or the man in the wheel chair. This was the first time since she had gotten back that Kagome seemed something other than devastated.

"Mom, I'll be back in a few days, have Grandpa make some excuse as to why I can't be at school." Kagome said as she walked out the door, pushing the comatose demon lord in front of her.

Finally after much manoeuvring and four-wheel driving with her two-wheel drive car, Kagome felt she had gotten far enough from the city. She had driven for hours, and was quite proud of what she had accomplished today. Though she was not sure what that was or for what reason. She didn't know why she was taking him there of all places. Or what she would do when he woke up. In fact she was too determined to think about that at the moment. She was working on a very limited supply of reasoning and all of those things merely complicated one fact.

Finally she found what she was looking for. Midoriko's cave. If she was lucky she could place a barrier and start to...start to... Well she didn't know what she was going to do once she got him up there but she would worry about that when she got there. She had walked this path many times since she had returned. She liked to think that it had been preserved for her to go and see one of the few things left that could remind her of her friends. She set up a camp, basic blankets and a fire. Her tasks seemed so right. This is why she belonged in the feudal era, the motions involved were what she enjoyed. Her muscles felt content with the familiar motions. Kagome laid the demon lord down, he was not that heavy considering his only source of nourishment for kami knows how long was through an IV. She noticed after a while that he began to sweat and had a fever. She got a wet cloth and placed it on his forehead. Kagome moved the blankets out from under him and let him lay on the cold earth. His breathing evened. She laid her head on his chest so that she could hear his heart beat, then wrapped herself in a blanket. She allowed her miko powers to permeate the room cleansing all but the man she was resting on. The little miko fell asleep soon after. The sorrow in her heart fading at the prospect of having at least a small part returned to her.

***

Sesshoumaru began to stir hours after the miko had fallen sleep. A smell that he had not smelt in so long hit his nose. His mind screamed for him to move and grasp the source of something he had lost so long ago. Slowly his eyes opened, he was in a cave. He moved his fingers. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had moved anything. Then something caught his eye. Hair there was a mess of black curls on his chest. His heart skipped a beat as he clenched his jaw. His hand reached up and rested on the small form residing on his person. She stirred. His other hand reached and nudge her. He had to be sure it was her. After a few not so gentle nudges, sleepy eyes looked up at him. Then the sleepy eyes became very wide. Before the woman could speak she was interrupted. He knew if he did not speak now she might faint.

"Miko, explain." He asked. Though he knew already, he knew very well what was happening. He also knew what this meant. It meant he was dying.

Kagome looked at him. Her hands on his chest. "I...I found you. In a hospital." She stuttered as she tried to remove herself from his hard chest. She was stopped by his hands.

"You are not attending school?" The demon lord continued, not acknowledging her escape attempts.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Leave you there?" Kagome asked as she stopped her struggle and accepted defeat as she laid her cheek against him. "Wait. How do you know I'm missing school?" She asked once she realized that he had been asleep for many years.

Sesshoumaru said nothing in reply. He took in her scent. Her heart beat. She was here with him. And now she would grant him the only thing he ever longed for. To die in her arms, as she had promised, all of those years ago. He had waited for centuries prolonging the inevitable for this chance. His heart ached as the memories returned to him.

Kagome waited for his reply. When silence was all she was granted she began to desperately fill the silence. The memories of him trying to kill her, his cold demeanour and blatant hatred of humans were all swimming through her mind. /span

"Why were you in the hospital?" She asked her question almost lost into the muscle her mouth was dangerously close to.

"I do not know why. I was merely sleeping. Waiting. Miko" The demon lord paused and his response did not go unnoticed by Kagome. "I would like to rest for a while longer." Was his reply and shortly he fell back to sleep with a very confused woman in his grasp.

Kagome couldn't get up. She tried and he just held her there. She eventually stopped fighting and fell back asleep as well. She would ask him lots of questions in the morning, lots and lots of questions.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Morning**_

Kagome woke up still in the embrace of the arms she had fallen asleep in. Quickly, lifting her head to check if the demon holding her was still asleep. The miko was not so lucky. Instead her eyes falling upon his, she paused, something in his gaze held a sadness that pinned her, keeping her from looking away. For a second, she forgot all about her sorrow and selfish reasoning that moved her to bring Sesshoumaru to this place and only wished to make that tinge of anguish in his eyes fade.

Her wandering mind was stopped when she was abruptly released. Kagome looked at him waiting for permission to... well to do anything.

Sesshoumaru stared at the young woman instantly regretting releasing her but with the time he had available to him, he could not spend it holding her. As much as he wanted to...

He raised an eyebrow at the woman which she interpreted as permission to speak. The flood gate opened and her questioning began. If he remembered correctly, the last time this happened he had wasted much time attempting silence as was his normal manner. So as he listened, he walked to the rear of the cave. Kagome continued to fire questions and comments as he moved a boulder out of the way. Under it was a box, rusted and worn but traces of the beauty it once held could be seen.

He used his poison to melt the lock on it while listening to the rambling of the confused high schooler. 'She's almost done with school now.' A voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He pulled out a book. 'I know.' He replied mentally.

Sesshoumaru walked over to the girl and handed her a book. Kagome looked at it very very confused. "What is this?" She asked.

"This will tell you everything you want to know." Sesshoumaru replied. "You have two hours." He went to sit in the sun while the miko caught up on what had happened in the last five hundred years.

Kagome opened the book, the words telling her the fate of her friends. Miroku and Sango had many children, they rebuilt the slayer village and lived long happy lives together.

She cried as she read on. Inuyasha married and had no children. He died in battle during one of the many wars that occurred between then and now. The book made it clear that he had never removed his beads and lived an honourable life until the end.

Shippou went on to live with Rin, they had a few children and after her death his followed closely behind. A demon's life is tied to that of their mates and he was happy to follow her.

Kagome read and read. It also had entries about the daiyokai she found. That he had a mate and beautiful children. The love conveyed for the pups was so strong in the book she cried. She couldn't believe that he had made this, and hid it in this cave and.... 'Wait a minute. How did he know we would go to this cave to hide it here?'

Now that her original questions had been answered she had a whole measure of new ones. She walked outside to speak to the demon about this, and found him sitting in the sun with his eyes closed, relaxing. Kagome could not bring herself to interrupt him so instead she sat back down and continued to read the accounts of her friends and family and Sesshoumaru.

When her two hours were up Sesshoumaru stood abruptly which caused the poor miko to jump. "Miko, we will go now." He said sternly.

"Go? Go where?" She asked as she was being scooped up. He did not reply.

As Sesshoumaru carried her they took to the sky, smelling her hair he instinctively pulled her close. He knew what he had to do but that didn't mean that he would not be allowed some liberties after all.

They flew for a while until they came upon something Kagome could not even fathom in her wildest dreams. In the sky there was a castle. Not just a castle but an entire landscape. It was beautiful and so magical. She was speechless, completely forgetting her previous questions.

She smiled as she was let down in a field of flowers. She squealed as she ran and began picking them. The air here was so beautiful so serene. Just like the era she so missed. Sesshoumaru smiled as her back was turned to him.

A familiar voice caused him to revert. "I see you have brought her back here." A woman said as she approached the demon lord.

"Yes, Mother I have." He replied.

"Do you remember the day I gave this land to you Sesshoumaru?" She asked as she too watched Kagome play in the field. The stoic woman smiled when a few of the toddlers that lived nearby found the girl and were all now picking flowers and playing games.

Sesshoumaru smiled again. "It was after the birth of my first heir." He replied remembering the gift and how much it had meant to his mate.

Sesshoumaru's mother rested her hand on his shoulder a sad smile gracing her usually stoic features. "If it was not for that mate of yours I never would have granted such a gift to you. My son, is this what you desire?" She asked.

"Yes, it is." He replied.

"Then I will say no more." And the woman turned around and left the area.

Kagome watched as a woman left Sesshoumaru's side. "Wow that lady is beautiful." She said out loud before picking up one of the little children that had found her.

"She is!" A little girl yelled. "She is our great great great great great great great great great great grandma."

"Yuri, you put too many on, you know how she hates it when you put too many." A young boy scolded her. The little girl put a hand to her mouth once she realized the terrible trespass she had committed.

Kagome laughed as she placed a flower in the girl's hair.

Sesshoumaru sat and continued to watch until darkness began to fall.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Food**_

As the sun began to set on the land in the sky the children all ran home to be with their families. Kagome was thoroughly tired and did not mind the break. She walked over to Sesshoumaru who seemed exhausted as well though he had not done much but watch.

"I'm hungry." Kagome said as she placed her hands behind her back and leaned in to make sure he heard her.

"Are you now?" Sesshoumaru asked as he stood, his height dwarfing the girl. She nodded and he grabbed her hand and began to lead her.

"Come." Was all he said and soon Kagome found herself being dragged into the rather large castle. She was taken to the kitchen and sat down. The cooks stared at the girl, but knew better than to say anything as they were forced out of the kitchen.

Kagome sat in awe as Sesshoumaru began to rummage for ingredients. He began to pull out pots and pans and spices. Kagome just sat there as he cooked.

The final product was like nothing she had ever tasted. She grinned as she ate. Sesshoumaru sat beside her and picked at some of the concoction. He had never fancied it much but...

"Sesshoumaru this is so good! I don't think I have ever eaten anything like it." Kagome said as she finished the last few bites. "This could easily be my favourite food. What is it called?" She asked turning to him.

Sesshoumaru smirked at her. 'It is your favourite food you silly girl.' He thought.

"I have forgotten the name after all of these years miko." He replied.

Kagome smiled at him and said. "Well then let's make a new name for it! We will call it, Maru Surprise." She said feeling like she had done the dish justice.

Sesshoumaru glared at her silliness but said nothing. Funny how she can have the same idea two times in two different life times.

The demon lord stood. "It is time for bed."

Kagome felt like a child, she had spent all day in the flower field, someone had made her dinner and now she was being told to go to bed. She went to argue but was pulled away before she could.

"What are you so impatient about anyway?" She asked as she was dragged.

Sesshoumaru said nothing as he opened a door and put her inside. It pained him so to do it this way. But he might change his mind if this went anywhere but where his plan had intended.

Kagome looked and saw a beautiful four post bed. Three kimonos hung nearby. She turned to see that Sesshoumaru was already gone. The little miko sighed as she sat down on the futon, some part of her was sad that she would not be with him like she had been last night.

Kagome pulled out the book he had given her and continued to read. The woman fell asleep fully clothed and with a book resting on her nose.

Sesshoumaru sat inside his room. Waiting to hear her breath tell him she was asleep. Once she was he slipped into her room and blew out the candles. The demon ever so gently covered the woman so she would be warm and stood there and looked.

"What torture is this to have her here with m e!?" He whispered under his breath. His clawed hand graced her cheek before he returned to his chambers.

The demon fell asleep with thoughts of the miko still lingering in his head.

Kagome woke up, she felt warm and safe, which was odd since she had fallen asleep half sitting up and half off the bed. She sat up and looked around but there was no trace of whoever had set her in the right sleeping position and covered her up.

She could feel a sadness lingering in the air, and something that was not herself compelled her to get out of bed. She stood and changed into some more appropriate sleeping attire and walked out her door. She did not know what seemed to be instigating her brashness but the need to seek out the sadness, this feeling which seemed so familiar, was too much for her to try and rationalize at the moment. She didn't have to walk far, the door next to hers seemed to be where she felt she needed to stop. She pushed in open slightly. There was a bed and someone in it.

As she got closer she realized it was Sesshoumaru. He was so demonic, much better than the hospital room. She began to gnaw at her lip as the questions as to the circumstances leading to this point flooded her mind. She brushed them aside and turned to walk back to her room. It was after all ridiculous that she would even be in there. But something stopped her. The feeling, it was the same feeling she had seen in his eyes the day before. The woman could not deny the need to calm his sadness and turned back around. As quietly as she could, she climbed into bed with the demon, and lay down.

It took only seconds for the Great and Terrible Sesshoumaru to turn and subconsciously wrap his arms around the small miko. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed.

As much as this whole situation confused Kagome, what seemed to confuse her most was that the sadness that seemed to be lurking, almost suffocating dissipated without a trace. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep. Content that he was content.


	5. Chapter 5

_Wake Up_

Sesshoumaru woke slowly. He pulled the figure in his arms closer before he realized that something was not right. The demon's eyes opened wide when he realized that he was not alone in his chambers. In his arms laid the small miko, Sesshoumaru examined her and all of her messy hair and drooling glory. Sesshoumaru smiled softly before trying to untangle himself from her tresses. He did this with such ease that if anyone had been watching they would have know he had done it before.

The demon lord sat there for a moment watching her. He was unsure of what to do. The miko crawling into his bed was not part of his plan. Kagome took in a deep breath and rolled into him as much as she could.

Sesshoumaru instinctively ran his claws through her hair, his actions causing her to wake up. 'She would not trick him' he thought. He was Demon lord of the western lands and she was a miko who went to school and worked at a shrine.

"Miko, what are you doing in this Sesshoumaru's bed?" His voice boomed at her. His indifference cutting through her sleepiness.

Kagome's eyes opened more as she heard him address her in such a cold manner. The miko considered the situation and noticed his hands in her hair betraying his tone. Kagome had prepared for this, his questioning of her presence in his bed. She was there from forces that she could not fully understand and didn't feel like talking about it very much. But the little tricky miko had devised a plan before she had fallen asleep the night before. She knew of things that he wished to discuss even less. She smirked at him, telling the demon lord that her response would only complicate his already complicated plan.

"Why did you use my name in the hospital?" She asked.

Sesshoumaru froze. Well, he had not thought of that. He had used the name for at least 400 years. It did not even cross his mind that it would be an issue he would have to deal with now. Sesshoumaru thought about the day they had decided to use it as a family name.

"Hn." Was all he could say, lucky for him that him being speechless and him being normal sounded exactly the same.

For once Kagome was satisfied with the silence and Sesshoumaru was not.

"Miko, you will go back to your chambers, get properly dressed, and meet me in the dining area. We have much to do today." He said as he got out of bed and turned to face the woman who still was in his bed. He looked at her laying there and hoped that she would leave as fast as possible. The situation was becoming too tempting.

Kagome smiled as she too got up. The miko saluted the demon lord "Yes Sir!" She replied and marched back into her room.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he changed and walked to the dining hall, he waited for Kagome to get there before entering.

As they sat down for breakfast there were at least two hundred other people in the huge dining area. Kagome saw the woman she had seen earlier and so many other people. She began to wonder what they were all doing here and who they all were. The children she has seen earlier smiled and waved at her. A few of the adults looked confused as to how their children had become acquainted with the woman and who she was.

Kagome then noticed a separate table. There sat ten people. All adults and all of them were staring at her. She hid behind Sesshoumaru to avoid their gaze and then something terrible happened. Sesshoumaru took her to the table.

Kagome had to swallow her gasp as she was sat down next to the people who had been looking at her so intently and Sesshoumaru took his seat. He knew damn well who these people were, and that they would do nothing to interfere with his plans.

The woman sitting next to Kagome smiled at her. Kagome smiled back and felt a little more at ease. Everyone at the table was so quiet and it made her very uncomfortable. Soon breakfast was served and she was glad to have something to distract her.

There were many different things to choose from. Kagome smiled as she looked at them all. In the center was mushroom and oyster omelette. Kagome smiled as everyone went for the dish in the middle. She could not help but smile and boast.

"You know I make a very good oyster mushroom omelette." She said as she grabbed some fruit. She was hoping that her speaking might break the defining silence at the table. She decided these people had to be Sesshoumaru's relatives if they remained this quiet even at breakfast.

The whole table froze and stared at her. Sesshoumaru mentally winced as he realized what had just happened. The woman sitting next to Kagome began to laugh. Then the rest began to laugh which in turn made Kagome laugh and left Sesshoumaru to be the only silent one at the table.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Breakfast**_

Kagome was oblivious as to what was so funny but it didn't matter. Soon enough the table was lively with conversation. Everyone talking about themselves and informing the miko about their families and positions. Soon Kagome was bombarded with children's names and their children's names.

She smiled at the warmth that emanated from these people. She started to doubt that they could be related to Sesshoumaru. But then again she didn't really understand him as of late either.

Kagome found herself trying to remember so many names. She realized something and reached into her kimono and pulled out the book Sesshoumaru had given her. The miko grabbed a pen as well and began to write them down inside the old blank pages. As the occupants of the table watched the woman, a sadness filled the air. They all observed as she wrote in the book, memories flooding their minds of a similar scene centuries ago.

Kagome lifted her head. "Ok all done. Now I will remember all of your names." She said smiling. Her smile faded as the change in atmosphere became more obvious. She looked around to see the happy people now more calm, some with sombre looks, one with tears in his eyes. She wasn't sure what she had said but decided that these people were more confusing than Sesshoumaru.

She looked to the man across from her, his tears threatening to fall. It broke her heart. Then again she felt compelled. Kagome stood everyone in the entire dining areas stopped and watched as the little miko got up and walked around the table. She threw her arms around the man and all watched as he crumbled in her grasp. She soothed him as best as she could, for reasons again she did not understand.

'What was drawing her to these people, and to Sesshoumaru as well?' Kagome thought.

Sesshoumaru watched in awe at the display. What was driving this woman? What would make her feel a need to respond this way. Not only to the people at the table but to himself as well. He hadn't expected her to pull out the book. Watching her write in it... after all of these years. It was bound to raise emotions in his children.

Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome pulled the two next to the man in her embrace as well and soon enough the ten of them were brought to the floor and she soothed their sadness.

The pain of what was happening and what this all meant to them was enough to cause the whole entire room to fall silent. The woman being here was welcome but ominous.

Sesshoumaru's mother watched a smile gracing her face. She knew things about these happenings that no one else in this room was privy to. She had been informed by someone she loved very much very many years ago, and though that person died shortly after , her son was sorely mistaken if he thought he would be able to pull this little scheme of his off.

The older inu woman stood and walked over to the table. She stood behind her son, speaking in such a low tone only he could hear her.

"She is compelled because they are hers. She might not know it but her blood knows it. My dear son, you might fight it but you are hers as well." The woman then cleared her throat interrupting the touching scene.

"Kagome, would you mind walking in the garden before you leave on your adventure today?" The woman asked.

Kagome who had been so wrapped up in comforting was pulled from her thoughts by a woman's voice. She looked up to see Sesshoumaru's mother. Kagome smiled and nodded.

Sesshoumaru growled at the woman who stood behind him. The only person he had ever met to be more crafty then his mother was the little miko, and the two of them were dangerous together.

"Do not worry, I only wish to see her as well. Don't be so selfish, Sesshoumaru. You are not the only one who has missed her all of these years." The woman said just under her breath.  
Sesshoumaru glared at her but could not deny the statement. The actions of his children were a testament to that. He nodded. "Miko, you will meet this Sesshoumaru in one hour. We have much that needs to be done today." The demon lord said as he stood and left the room.

His children stood as well. Each hugging Kagome before following their father's example and exiting. Leaving the two women alone. Kagome was confused and still did not know exactly who these people were, but was glad that she could help.

The two women walked through the fields. The older demoness had to choose her words carefully. She did not want to cause more grief and confusion for her family then this whole fiasco already had.

Kagome walked with the demoness and had to fight the urge to pick the flowers. Her fingertips gracefully brushed the petals as they walked.

The elder woman smiled as she bent down and picked a few flowers and handed them to the girl. "Kagome, I cannot say much as to why my son has brought you here. I can only tell you... that his reasons have purpose. Just do not let his purpose overshadow your own. He can be very overbearing at times."

Kagome took the flowers, her mind still trying to wrap its self around all that has happened. The book he gave her helped her to find peace with what had happened to her friends, but something else was there, tugging at her like a child does at apron strings. "I do not know why I am here," Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru's mother frowned slightly. She could feel him approaching. The woman turned to the little miko and hugged her. "Kagome, sometimes you should read a book by its cover." She said and she released the girl.

Kagome was so confused but hugged the demoness back. Soon Sesshoumaru was standing next to them. Examining the situation to see if his mother had done something he did not want. Seeing the confusion in Kagome's eyes he was satisfied that she had behaved. Kagome waved as she was lifted to the air. She had no idea what they were going to go do now, but she didn't mind. Her questions still nagged at her as they flew through the air, but she would wait to ask them. Feeling a little tired, Kagome fell asleep as they flew to their destination

***

Sorry i fixed the line breaks. This story is getting a little out of control so might go over 10 chapters. Thank you every one fore your lovely reviews. I have been thinking about this fic for a long time. So i am glad you enjoy it as much as i do writing it. Thank you LC for betaing this for me. I love you!


	7. Chapter 7

_The beginning of the break down_

Sesshoumaru could feel his strength waning as he flew. The woman sleeping in his arms proved to be more and more of an enigma. Even after all of the time. He landed in side of a beautiful canyon, virtually untouched by man. There were waterfalls of hot springs. Plants and wildlife all so unaccustomed to an outside presence they ignored him.

Sesshoumaru sat the girl down and nudged her with his foot. Kagome woke up from her little nap and looked up at the demon lord. He looked tired. Then she looked around to see the most beautiful landscape. A gasp escaped her as she stood. Soon enough she was wandering around exploring the beautiful area. Once she had her fill she turned and walked back to Sesshoumaru , who had been sitting in the grass. His armour and weapons laid beside him.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kagome asked as she watch a few butterflies dance.

"Kagome, there are beautiful things in this time. Things that cannot compare to what existed back in the feudal era." He said very calmly. The speech was something he had practiced many many times.

He sighed. "The things you yearn for are not gone. Just more hidden." Kagome nodded. He was right as she had never seen nature like this back then. She sat down next to him for a while.

They said nothing still. She didn't think of all of the questions in the back of her mind. The miko just sat and absorbed the beauty around her.

Kagome finally stood and looked back. "I think I will take a bath now." She said.

Soon the girl scampered off to a hot pool and began to undress. She took off her layers as she entered the water, making sure to hide herself from the demon lord lord's eyes. Her modesty compromised by the idea of missing this opportunity to soak in the untouched water.

Sesshoumaru battled with himself. Seeing Kagome's bare back in the pool was a little more than he could take. Suddenly his plan was not as appealing. He had not imagined it to be this hard. To see her, to want her. To feel her arms wrapped around him as him mate, just one more time.

Seeing her younger self with their children was so bitter sweet. He had known they would want to see her. And since it had been forbidden due to the serious impact it would have on the things that happened in the past, they knew better than to say anything to her regarding their lineage in front of the girl. But there was something there. Why did she respond to them in such a way? Was her bond to them so strong?

He had to admit that when they were pups she could sense them.

When they were distressed she knew.

When they were lying she knew.

Was it even possible? His musings were stopped by his more logical side. Thoughts of these things were probably what happened the last few times. He could not veer from what his mission was to do. He was going to convince her one way or the other. That her returning to the past was not an option.

He watched her as she continued to soak.

Kagome laid in the water, thinking about the people she had met. The Inu woman was Sesshoumaru's mother. Why did she hug her? Why was Sesshoumaru doing this? What did he gain from spending this time with her? Kagome submerged herself and thought while she held her breath. She had been the one to find him. She had been the one to take him and help revive him. Maybe he was just repaying her for her kindness? Something about Sesshoumaru repaying her for her kindness just didn't seem right. Thoughts of him using her name still bothered her. Not that she minded. Maybe Inuyasha had used it, after she had left. Maybe Sesshoumaru used it when humans became more prominent as a way to fit in. She had no idea. And him being a demon of little words made her quest for answers seem a little futile.

Finally she realized she needed air and rose from the water, taking a breath. Sesshoumaru smirked. She had always thought better underwater. Something about the adrenaline of not being able to breath. He remembered when she had first told him this it had take taken her weeks to explain hormones and chemicals to him. Ok maybe years , but who was counting?

Kagome got out of the water and dressed; this time taking no consideration of the modesty she had going in. Sesshoumaru was proper, though, and looked away from her naked form. Not because it was dishonorable to gaze at a naked woman. She had been his mate and he had every right. But because doing so would only tempt him more and he was running out of time as it was. Once she was dressed Sesshoumaru stood and picked her up again. They would now go on to their next destination and he would help to make her understand, and to give her reasons to stay. After traveling all day Kagome was exhausted.

Sesshoumaru had shown her so many beautiful things. Things she did not know existed in her wildest dreams. When they finally returned to the castle, the sun had already set. Kagome followed Sesshoumaru. All of the places they had been were amazing. But something was nagging at her. Something different now, and it was not Sesshoumaru for once. First the canyon. Then they went to the black sand beaches. Then to an old village that seemed to have been forgotten by the ages. A desert, and somewhere where the snow never melted. They were all beautiful in their own right. But there was something she couldn't quite grasp. A familiarity that shouldn't have been there.

As they reached her chambers he nodded as she opened her door and retired to his room. Kagome quickly changed into some sleepwear and left her room. She pressed her ear to the side of his door, listening for him to be asleep. Little did her human senses know he too was listening at the door for her to be asleep. 'What is she doing?' Sesshoumaru's mind screamed as he heard her breathing.

His claws reached up to rest on the barrier separating them. His mind bouncing from thoughts of shredding the door to get to her, and locking it to keep her out. Kagome still did not know what was compelling her now. Something about the day they had spent together made her want to spend more time with him, to be near him. She finally gathered enough courage and began to turn the door knob. *** :.)


	8. Chapter 8

_Answers Kinda_

Sesshoumaru stared at the thing as it turned, his own door betraying him. 'It was her door at one time as well.' His mind mocked him. The demon lord felt panic. 'What if he was standing here when she opened it? What would he do when she walked in? Would he allow her to grace his bed with her presence again?' His mind raced and he began to feel very very exhausted. The door opened as he fell to his knees, the power he had used that day combined with the stress from the whole situation finally taking its toll on the demon lord.

Kagome saw Sesshoumaru as he began to fall. She caught him as gracefully as she could. And laid him in her lap. The miko wiped the hair from his eyes and cradled the demon in her embrace. Suddenly two men appeared. She looked up to see two of the Demons who had been at the table during breakfast. One picked up the demon lord and brought him to his bed while the other helped up the woman.

She stared at them as they walked by her. They both put their hands on her shoulders as they approached her. Each saying something.

"On the second day that she comes he will collapse. She will have to make a choice." One said in her ear.

The other spoke quickly after him. "She will need your help then. Lend it but say nothing more." The two then led the woman to the bed, both squeezing her shoulders as they left. Soon she was alone with an unconscious demon lord and more questions. But the immediate one was, what to do now?

Kagome bit at her bottom lip. She had planned to come here and sleep. Hadn't she? Those men, they knew this was going to happen. How? How could they know she would be here, or that Sesshoumaru would collapse? Kagome decided then that she would demand answers from Sesshoumaru in the morning. And if he didn't want to give them to her, there were plenty of other people here she could ask.

The two men walked back to their rooms. Before parting ways the other looked at his brother. "Do you think we are interfering too much?" He asked

The other smiled a smile that rivaled his mother's. "We did what we were told. We said nothing. No one said anything about us pointing her."

Kagome climbed into bed with Sesshoumaru. He did not move to hold her this time. So she did it for him. She laid on his chest and wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep.

When Kagome woke up, he was still sleeping. She decided it was best not to wake him and to go down to breakfast and ask questions there. She walked in and again the room fell silent. The idea that they all knew something she didn't was a little infuriating to the woman.

She marched her little miko butt right to the table she had been the previous day and sat down. She looked at them all. They continued to eat and chatter like she wasn't there.

She glared at them. All of them stopped what they were doing under her scrutiny.

Kagome waited till all of their attention was on her. "Ok now before he wakes up and comes down here I need some answers." She said and she sat back.

They all stared at her. None had been prepared for this. They had been told that she wouldn't ask, but none were surprised they knew her as well as their father and well Kagome was not one to be left in the dark. Sesshoumaru's assumption that the younger naive version of his mate would not question the situation was a gross miscalculation. At least this time around.

"Why am I here? Why is everyone so sad? Why did Sesshoumaru use my name in the hospital? What is this place? Who are these people? What is going on? How did he know I would take him to the cave?..." Kagome's questions rolled off of her tongue, her need to know causing her voice to give a little under the stress.

They all stared at the woman wide eyed. Looking back and forth to each other for some hint of how to handle the situation. The two from the night before wondered if their minute interference had anything to do with this change in her behaviours.

Seven looked completely confused, but one just sat there, unfazed. The woman farthest from Kagome seemed to just listen to what she was say and did not seem as confused or uneasy as the rest. Kagome noticed this once her rambling had finished. Her eyes narrowed on the female.

The woman stared back, the resemblance between them apparent to all except Kagome. "He's dying." She said. Memories of sitting with her mother on her death bed flooded her mind. Only she knew what to do in this instant, because she was told. The plan that had been elaborately set by her father was minuscule compared to the plan that had been set in motion by her mother.

Kagome froze. Her questions stalled in her mind at the new information.

"What?" Kagome choked out.

The others stared at the woman who had done what they were defiantly not allowed to.

The woman spoke again, clearer this time. "He has brought you here because he is dying. His reasons are not ours to discuss. They are solely his own." And with that she got up and left the room, smiling at her grandmother as she left.

***

Ok i have no idea went wont wrong with the last one. Sorry guys. Again the next chapter its gonna get rough. Thanks LC for your help with this.


	9. Chapter 9

_Running out_

Time

Sesshoumaru woke up. The last thing he remembered was being at his door. His head ached, but his bed was empty so that was good. He stood... his footing was a little shaky. There wasn't much time left. Maybe a week or two at the most. He had spent all of this time saving up his energy to just to do this one thing.

When Kagome had returned to the feudal era he had no idea what it meant for him. At first Sesshoumaru thought she was there for his brother. But the distant look in her eyes and the way she spoke to him when he went to see Rin confused him. Eventually he found her randomly at places he loved. Places he had never shown another soul. He fell in love with her slowly. It took years, something he never thought would happen.

Sesshoumaru braced himself against the wall as he gathered his strength. His time truly was running out.

After he had taken Kagome as his mate, and after the birth of their first pup, she told him about the future. She did not tell him much; in fact she fed him information slowly, about meeting him there and the events that occurred. At first Sesshoumaru did not care much for her stories, he loved her and that was all that mattered to him.

Then she started to fade, a sickness he did not understand. Their mating made her live longer but she was not immune to disease. The woman he loved began to die. His children were devastated as well as his lands. The loss of their Lady, mother, wife and mate was difficult. He began to look forward to the time when he would see her again, like she had told him about... that he would see her in the future, and that he would die in her arms.

He began to research, and try to find out all he could about her time and what had happened there. The more he found out, the more he realized that having her with him again and sending her back, would repeat the most painful thing to ever happen to him and his family. They would be doomed to relive it. His soul ached, his life had been tied to hers, and he would have died long before he could finish his plan if it wasn't for his determination. To doom his loved ones to suffer forever was too much of a burden to allow him to leave this world.

Finally Sesshoumaru caught his breath and walked down to the dining room. He passed his daughter on the way. The smile on her face made him uneasy. As Sesshoumaru sat down for breakfast he felt Kagome's eyes on him. The worry emanating off her was making him uneasy as well. Before he could speak he felt her hands on him, prodding and poking. Her determination in molesting his person made him eye his offspring for information on the cause of her actions.

"Miko, cease your inspection of this Sesshoumaru," he said coldly.

When Sesshoumaru had walked up, Kagome didn't know what to do. So she poked him, wanting to hold him, but settling for fingertips instead. When he told her to stop, she complied.

Sesshoumaru eyed his children. None gave him any response and a discussion in front of the woman would be more damaging. They ate in silence. Sesshoumaru thought about what to do next. Kagome bit her lip in contemplation. And their children were just glad that the two were preoccupied enough to not question them further for any reason.

When breakfast was over, Sesshoumaru took the miko and they left for more destinations.... The demon lord had much to show her.

This continued for a week or two; Sesshoumaru taking Kagome to beautiful places. He even had her meet a few people. Kagome began to feel at home for the first time since she had left the feudal era. Again, the familiarity could not be ignored. She asked him once if they had been to this lake in the feudal era, causing him to again be speechless.

As Kagome sat in the gardens waiting for dinner, she pulled out her book and reread her favourite parts. The flowers danced in the wind around her as she read, when suddenly a memory came to her, from when she first came to this place. Sesshoumaru's mother had said something odd to her about books... and covers.

Kagome began to look closer at her book and its leather-bound hard covers, her inspection leading to the stitching on the outside. The miko bit her lip, her mind screaming at her for even considering damaging such a beautiful thing. But something else, something deeper urged her forward.

Kagome gracefully used her teeth to rip a stitch, and as she unbound the book she saw something, a paper. The curious little miko carefully removed the treasure and opened it. It was a letter addressed to her.

_Kagome,_

_ By now my husband has travelled the world with you, shown you beautiful amazing things. He is right, the future is full of wonders and beauty and staying here would not be the end of the world, but do not let him fool you. There is much more going on here than he can comprehend. Hell, it took me 32 years to teach him algebra. Trust me when I say that though my mate's intentions are good, and at first very, very important to the lives of the people you love, it will not turn out as he hopes. IT hasn't. When he is gone, which will happen soon, go back to where this all began and put in motion a destiny that has taken us eons to create and understand. At first, I too was taken by his idea, and did not want to cause him pain. But know this, no matter which you chose, you are doomed to repeat this. This is why a being that lives for almost an eternity and those who transcend time itself cannot be bound to one another. The only way is to give one the power to live forever or the other the ability to cross through time. We cannot grant Sesshoumaru time travel, but the other option might be achievable. Give my children my love, as well as his mother... and do not tell him of this letter, but give him hell. There is no way for him to know how you came by this information and I am assuming, since you are me, that you're probably furious so mask your scent. The flowers in the field you're sitting in work wonders for that. Kagome, all of our hopes and dreams are tied to these moments following this letter... mine, yours, and all of those who came before us._

_Sincerely,_

_Kagome_

Kagome froze. Her breath was unable to be released from her lungs. She looked at the book closer; it was similar to her own handwriting. Sesshoumaru did not make this for her.

"I wrote this..." she said out loud.

The only answer she received was from the wind. The letter eluded her as to what was happening and why, but for him _not _to tell her was unbelievable! For him to wish her to stay, to abandon a family... those people at the table. Their sadness filled the air. He was dying, and they were with their mother, but could say nothing! No wonder they seemed devastated!

The woman stood angry, hurt and confused beyond belief. "You're damn right he's dying," she yelled as she began to walk back to the castle.

Sesshoumaru had done all he could, at the last place he had taken her, she seemed happy... content. She was not as restless as when they had first crossed paths in this time. He began to feel at ease, that he had done his job... what he had been sent out to do. He smelt her tears the second she walked in the hallway, and something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He felt her anger the second she got to his door, and he could hear her breathing through the wooden barrier. The demon was not confused at this moment, he did not want to shred the door to get to her...in fact locking it was a much better idea.

****

But fate was not on his side this time, because she opened the door before he could get to it.

Kagome burst through the door, her eyes filling with tears at the site of him. Her need to yell not subsiding in the least.

"**I** am your _mate_?!?" she yelled.

"You brought me here _without_ telling me?" Kagome continued.

The miko stalked over to him.

"_Those_ are my children!" she said before colliding with his chest.

"Miko, who told you this?" was all he could say. Sesshoumaru had not planned for this. His arrogance at his ability to plot grossly miscalculated this, and he was unprepared.

Kagome glared at him. She started to tell him, but stopped herself, remembering not to mention the letter.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"You would have me stay here in this time, not to be with you? Not to have your children?" she asked, tears fully flowing now.

Sesshoumaru began to feel doubt. Was he about to tell the love of his life and mother to his children that he wants nothing of this, nothing of the love of his family? He wanted to hold her, tell her he was wrong, but the memories of her death came to him.

"You will die if you return, Kagome. You will die and the pain is too much. Not just for me, but for the children as well." He said, finding new resolve in a memory that shattered his very soul.

"You would have them never exist then?" Kagome asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The pain in her words cut into him. He looked at her, careful of his next words. 'She can find a new happiness,' he thought, reassuring himself.

"How many times do you think we have done this? How many times have I met you here? Loved you and lost you? How many times will we die in each other's arms Kagome? An eternity? An eternity of my children losing their mother? My lands losing their Lady, and me losing my mate?" his voice broke under the pressure. His breath became shaky from hearing the words said out loud.

Kagome stared at him. She didn't know what to say so she did the only thing she could, she kissed him.


	10. Chapter 10

_Loss_

An: Thank you so much Possessed and LC for your help with this i love you ladies! Ok i will warn you now this chapter is not happy. I tried to fit this ficlet into 10 chapters but i couldn't so it will be 12. I hope to finish it tomorrow or the next day. Thank you to everyone who is reading this fic, and your words of encouragment are wonderful. Ok on to the chapter.

*****

Sesshoumaru didn't care then. The feeling of her lips on his awakened a part of him that died with her. The demon lord took what she was offering hungrily, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling the woman as close to him as he could without absorbing her into himself.

Kagome broke the kiss. His eyes met hers and she could not help her actions, she went to kiss him again.

"Promise me you will stay," he said. "No matter what happens, promise me you will not return to the feudal era."

His words broke her heart. His eyes, the pain there, was worse. She thought about what he had said, what she had been told, and made a decision. "I promise."

Sesshoumaru soaked in her words, she had never lied to him before and the peace he felt was satisfying. As he held her in his arms, he remembered her last request from him.

"I just want to be with you, one last time, in any lifetime." she had said before she died that night.

Sesshoumaru kissed her again. If she would grant him his desires, he would grant the woman hers.

Kagome's heart began to pound. Something was telling her that this was supposed to be happening. She felt her feet leave the floor; instinctively she wrapped her legs around him. Soon he was devouring her neck and loosening her clothes.

Kagome relieved him of his haori as gracefully as she could. The feeling of his skin on hers was heavenly. The same familiarity that had troubled her these past few weeks was now guiding her. Her hands roamed his body as he laid her on the bed, removing the rest of her clothing. Her naked form made him ache to be inside her.

Sesshoumaru hadn't planned on this either, but he was not disappointed. It did not matter if she stayed here. He kissed along her collar bone. Memories of conceiving his children in the back of his mind made him want her more. He reached her breasts, stopping to take the taut nipples into his mouth. Kagome's hands tangled in his hair and she cried out in ecstasy. Her fingertips graced the muscles on his back and she dug her nails in.

A growl escaped him in reaction to her touch.

"Sesshoumaru, I need you," Kagome moaned, as she pulled him up to meet her face. He kissed her then, not wanting to deny her. He instinctively positioned himself at her entrance. Her juices coated him in preparation for his penetration. He opened his eyes to watch her, to take in _everything_, for this would be the last time he would be with her.

As he slid in, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sesshoumaru had to fight the urge to mark her again, to _claim_ what was rightfully his. He nipped and kissed her neck as he waited for her to become accustomed to him.

Kagome felt the sting as he entered her. She pulled him close and took in a deep breath, holding it until the pain subsided. She felt him kissing her neck, focusing on a certain spot.

'That must have been where he marked me,' she thought, a sad smile pulling at her lips.

He continued to take her, slow, savouring every moan and movement she made. Sesshoumaru had forgotten what it felt like to be with her. This was why they had ten children.

Kagome began to feel a pressure she had never felt before. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered, her voice leaving her from the sensations she was feeling. She felt him tense at the sound of his name off her lips.

"Kagome," He whispered back, their eyes meeting as he continued to slip in and out of her, drawing more moans and cries from the woman.

Something compelled her yet again, but now it was something she was starting to understand. _She_ might not know their history, but her soul did. "I love you," she said.

She began to tremble; she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as she could as she came.

Sesshoumaru felt her walls tightening around him and he could not take it. He smelt her, he was with her. "I love you Kagome," he said as he came. His orgasm was intense. As his seed filled the woman he loved for probably the last time, Sesshoumaru felt such happiness and satisfaction.

They laid there for only a moment, totally out of breath. Sesshoumaru stayed within his miko, and she kissed him again. He pulled her to rest on his chest and soon he was asleep.

Kagome felt panic at the sight of him sleeping. She laid herself on his chest to feel his breathing, making sure he was still with her.

It was still mid-morning, but all in the household knew it was not uncommon for their lord and lady to "Nap" in the middle of the day.

When Kagome woke up he was still breathing. They went down for dinner. She hugged each one of her children and cried. They were confused as to how and why she knew, but it didn't matter. This last moment to all be together was all they had wanted.

Sesshoumaru could feel it throughout dinner. His family together one more time made the nostalgia of the situation really hit him; it was finally going to end. He pulled Kagome into his lap. 'Just one last time, I want to hold her,' he thought.

After dinner, as the sun set, Sesshoumaru took Kagome for a walk. They sat next to the koi pond and watched the sun disappear. Sesshoumaru laid his head in her lap and Kagome knew. She had done this before, but this was not as vague. He was dying, right here, in her arms. The memories of this flashed through her mind as a dam broke, flooding her with images and feeling of having lived this moment hundreds of times.

She began to cry and she pulled him closer. The pain of the realization was more intense than she could have imagined. She was shattering. Her tears fell on his face and he reached up to wipe them away.

"I have never loved nor respected another as much as I have you, Miko. It is unfortunate that we should be entangled in such a tragic destiny," he said, as caressed her cheek. "My love, find happiness here in this time."

Kagome kissed him with a passion she didn't know she had.

"I love you Kagome," he said.

"I love you, Sesshoumaru," she said, and then he was gone. He faded in front of her; he even died gracefully, his passing leaving Kagome alone. The miko sat in the dark and cried. Though all knew what was happening, they let their lady mourn her lord for a little while before coming to retrieve her.

She cried in his bed most of the night, remembering the promise she had made.

'Maybe he was right, to go through this pain for an eternity, doomed to repeat it...' Her heart and soul ached at losing him.

When morning came, she got up to go eat breakfast with her children, not sure of what to do now. The letter had told her to move forward, but her heart ached at the idea.

When she got to the table and sat down she noticed something. Instead of ten chairs, there were eleven.


	11. Chapter 11

_**What now.**_

Kagome stared at the 11th chair. The rest were all occupied by their children, except for Sesshoumaru's, in his chair sat his mother. The sad miko took her seat. The table was silent while they all ate breakfast, quietly mourning the loss of their father, son, and lord. Then a man walked into the room. His hair was black but the amber eyes betrayed to whom he belonged. He sat nonchalantly in the 11th chair that had been plaguing the miko's mind.

Sesshoumaru's mother could not believe it. When she had woken up this morning it had all gone as she was told it would, with the extra chair at the table and the loss of her son. Throughout this lifetime she had held a shred of doubt concerning the stories that had been revealed to her, but followed them exactly in respect for the strong woman who hadgranted her such a family.

For the first time in her life, the inu woman felt anxious. Her cold demeanor began to bend as the unknown began to show itself to her. The man who sat down at the table was new, and she knew it. She played with the bracelet on her wrist for a moment, remembering the words she had heard when it was gifted to her.

"This trinket will give you foresight into the possibilities that have already occurred."

How many times had the miko lived this, to know these things? To have scoured the earth through lifetimes. To find ways to manipulate time, to bend it. The sheer size of the human's determination, it was unfathomable.

Kagome watched the woman sitting next to her. 'That bracelet, I know it,' Kagome thought, before her attention was brought back to the people around her. None seemed confused by the man at the table. Her brow furrowed as her mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening.

"I think Kagome, that it is time for you to return home," the new man said as he stood. The entire group stared at him. They wanted her to stay.

Kagome swallowed hard. She wanted to refuse, to demand she be allowed to stay with the family she would never have, to live in the house that was his. She longed to be a part of something that she so desperately was still trying to understand and grasp.

Sesshoumaru's mother met the man's gaze, and smiled. 'So that was how she got back there?' the woman thought. She let go of the bracelet. It would have to remain intact so that she could remember to finish her tasks. If she was to remove it, she too would reset to this new development and lose valuable information.

"I agree. Kagome, you need to go to school and live. My son would have wanted it that way," she said as she hugged the woman.

Kagome fell silent, she didn't know what to say. Soon she was being hugged by many people, shedding tears and saying their goodbyes.

Sesshoumaru's mother slipped out the door as they all said their farewells. 'I want to say goodbye too, but there is still something I have to do.' She took to the sky and was gone.

Kagome stood outside, soaking in what had happened these past few days. The man who had been new to the table came to her.

"It is time," he whispered.

"Why? What is happening here? I don't understand," Kagome whispered as she turned to him.

The man frowned. He hadn't expected her to seem so lost and confused. His memories of her were so bold and strong.

The man picked her up and soon they were in the air.

"You know, when I feel lost and confused, I sit under water. It helps me think. Something about not being able to breath forces your mind to places it might not normally go," he said.

Kagome's eyes went wide.

The man smiled at her and hugged her a little closer. "My mother taught me that trick many many years ago."

***

The inu woman sat and sipped her tea. She had no idea they were expecting her. Just how deep did this plan go? The girls family knew. Through stories passed down through their family.

Kagome's mother poured herself more tea. She had always known this day would come. The women talked back and forth for a while, sharing embarrassing stories about their children. They would laugh for the rest of their lives imagining a 3 year old Kagome having purple boogers for a month because she shoved a violet crayon up her nose, or about a 10 year old Sesshoumaru learning to write by practicing on his father's tactical maps, the maps were still hanging in his mother's room.

The women felt it then, as the two arrived. They stood.

"Make sure to take care of my daughter for me. Tell her I love her," Kagome's mother said.

"I will," replied Seshomaru's mother.

"Also, the cave where she took Sesshoumaru, take her there. She will know what to do." Kagome's mother said as she waved goodbye to the demoness.

***

When they touched ground Kagome stared at the man. The eyes, his hair, he was the same at the other ten. One of her children, her eldest probably her hand move to her abdomen.

He smiled at her, she was figuring it out.

"I am your eldest," he said, as he stood her in front of the well house.

"You told me to bring you here, and to tell you that these next few steps are key. So I suggest you climb down and find what you have left," he said, as he hugged her and then he was gone.

Kagome froze with the fear of what was happening. She pulled the letter from her pocket and reread it, trying to decide what to do next.

She had promised. But...

The letter said to go where it all began, and that was this well. Kagome's hands gripped the edges. Her knuckles white. "What should I do?" she asked out loud.

Thought and memories of losing Sesshoumaru played through her mind. The pain. The passion in his voice when he spoke to her. She lost him, but he had lost her as well. How many times?

It hit her then. How many times? Her son had said, she had told him to bring her here. Her sons that night in the bedroom had been told to go there. Sesshoumaru's mother told her about the book she wrote.

"It's me. I am orchestrating this." The woman looked down into the well, thinking the most uncommon thought ever. "If I was me, what would I do?"

With that in mind Kagome smiled as she climbed down the familiar ladder.

An: One more to go then its done. Sorry it kinda got away from me. Thanks Possessed for betaing it for me.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Till The End Of Time**_

AN: This is the last chapter. This story has been such a roller coaster for me. Thank you so much Possessed for betaing it for me i love you. Thank you to every one who reviewed and Thank you Hikari Hime for you wonderful fanart. I hope you enjoy it. Until next time...

~Nobody

***()***()***()***()***

Kagome reached the ground at the bottom of the old well.

"What do I do now?" she whispered, gnawing on her lip. Her hand leaned against the stone wall. The miko looked at it, a thought on the edge of her mind. Soon she was digging out the stone. Behind it was a box. The woman stared at it, not sure what to do. She grasped it and undid the tie holding it together.

Inside it was another book like hers. She grabbed it and opened it.

_Kagome,_

_If you have gotten to this point then you are already farther than we have come yet. It is time. Time to stop this ridiculous loop. Do you remember the places Sesshoumaru took you? IF not, there is a map in the back of this book. You must go to them and retrieve the things we need._

_You are different, different than any other being caught in this time circle. You are born, every time. Every time this happens, you are recreated, you are not just the reincarnation of Kikyo, but of yourself. Do you remember Urasue? The demoness who tried to take your soul and put it into Kikyo? Your soul was massive... it broke Kanna's mirror. It was not always this large. Every time you die, you are reborn. Your soul encompasses all of our failures to this point. The memories are ours, the pain._

Kagome read on. "T hen why not just stay? If this is the p ain we suffer, why not just stay?" as if she was reading her own mind the letters on the page addressed her question.

_...I'm sure you're wondering what I did, if I broke the promise... Kagome, you can't stay. If you stay, he will find you in this time. Three rocks to the left of this, remove it and look...._

Kagome did as she was instructed. She wondered if it was still considered talking to herself if it was a different version of her. She moved the rock away and eight books fell out of the area behind it. They were just like the one she had in her pocket and in her hand, identical.

She picked one up and gasped as she read it.

_...I know I was not supposed to go back. I promised, but you have to understand, I didn't have a choice. After he died and I refused to return, refused to break my promise, he came to me. He was a different man, one who had never known of the life we had lived and relived. He had never mated, never produced an heir, and would live for eons... alone._

_And I resolved to let him, but he wouldn't. I never told him, I swear I never said anything. But something in him knew. The day the well opened up to let me back, he took me there himself. He said it was destiny or the well would have stayed closed._

_I begged him to let me stay, he refused..._

Kagome could not believe it. Sesshoumaru's plan to make her stay would only be thwarted by himself. How ironic. She skimmed the others there, all saying similar things. Then Kagome heard a voice.

"Sis are you down there?" Soata asked. His mother had told him to go to the well.

Kagome looked up to see her brother. She managed a weak smile and a nod. She watched, confused, as he walked down the ladder and stood with her. He sure had gotten taller.

Souta looked at the books all over the floor and smiled at her. "Did you know grandpa told me a story once that I was never allowed to repeat?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Well, I will tell you it then... promise you won't say anything?" he said, as he began to remove the rocks. More books fell out.

Kagome nodded as she watched him.

"There once was a well that was untouched by time. Inside the well, there are the accounts one woman's lives." As he spoke, his fingers moved rocks and more books fell out of the walls.

"She doesn't know, but eventually she too will be outside of time... and the fates will allow her the peace she deserves."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. Her family connected more pieces of the puzzle in her mind, her mother had just let her go down the well all of those years. She let her go with Sesshoumaru. Tears began to stream down her face, it all hitting her like a brick wall.

Kagome continued to sniffle as she started to help her brother remove the rocks. The lives she lived before, falling at their feet.

The two sat in the well reading and learning, alternately laughing and being terribly sad. The sun came up before they felt they had learned enough.

Kagome looked at the hundreds of books scattered on the floor of the well. The weight of it all lay heavy on her shoulders. Souta helped his sister to her feet.

"Kagome, I will miss you so much, but I understand why you need to go. I love you and promise me, that no matter what happens, you will be happy... because I wouldn't be that good of a brother if I let you be sad."

Kagome hugged her little brother, and climbed out of the well to see Sesshoumaru's mother waiting for her.

"What do I have to do?" Kagome asked her hand roaming to her back to he abdomen as if to comfort the only link she still had to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's mother smiled. "You have to do exactly what you instructed me to tell you, but first, do you have a map?"

"Yes," Kagome said, as she held open the first book she found in the well.

With that, the women took to the air. Kagome looked at the map. She knew these places.

These were all of the places Sesshoumaru had taken her. Somehow his soul had been impacted enough that the places he loved and thought he discovered, the places he had gone to after she had died, were not his own. These places were hers and they had a purpose. Next to the first designation on the map was a note.

"_The water from this spring exists outside of time just like the well. Some refer to it as the fountain of youth. You'll need three cups from it."_

Kagome smiled. Fine, if this was what she was meant to do, then fine, she would stop this once and for all.

The two women travelled for three days, collecting things. Snows that never stopped, desert sand that had no beginning or end. Her list was long, and when she finished it, she was back at the well.

Her mother was waiting for her. All of the books were packed up and waiting for her.

Kagome's mother handed her a stone from the well.

"For when you are ready come home. I love you Kagome, if you succeed, we will know nothing of what has happened, so know that now and forever I am so proud of you." her mother said, as she hugged her and sent her on her way.

"Where are we going now?" Kagome asked since there wasn't nothing left on the map.

"To Midoriko's cave," the older inu said.

"Why?"

"Because there is one more thing you need."

As they entered the cave, Kagome looked around. Still the same. The same as when she had come here all those years ago with her friends, the same as when she had came here with Sesshoumaru... in fact it was _exactly_ the same.

The women began to walk to the back, to the room where the statues containing the forever battling youkai and priestess stood.

Kagome stared at the two. They were still as they had been, throughout time.

Something was guiding her now. She didn't know what, but she looked back at the demoness who had helped her so much.

"You can leave the things we collected, I think I know what to do now," Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru's mother smiled and hugged the girl. "You told me you'd say that." The inu handed the girl the bracelet off her wrist. "You'll need this too."

Kagome hugged the demoness back knowing that this would be the last time she would see her. At least in this era.

"Is this what you chose Kagome?" Sesshoumaru's mother asked.

Kagome thought for a moment. "Yes, thank you for everything," Kagome replied

With that the older woman faded, leaving Kagome alone in a very dark cave. She should have been scared, but she was too determined to finish her task to notice.

When Kagome came out of the cave, she felt the same. She remembered being alone in the cave but nothing else. All of the books she had brought, all of the items she had collected were gone. But to what end she was unsure.

She hiked down, thinking... wondering, if it had worked.

When she got home, her mother greeted her, her brother stuck his tongue out at her, and her grandpa handed her a broom.

'They don't know,' she thought. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome went to school. She lived each day and waited for the time Sesshoumaru would reappear... but it didn't happen.

She had done it. She changed the events. She graduated within a couple months and still nothing happened, the well did not open. She succeeded in stopping the cycle, but was she really happy about it? The morning sickness was a constant reminder, that is wasn't over.

Kagome spent as much time with her family as she could in this time, and then one day she felt it. The well. She went to it, looked over the edge, unsure of what to do, her hand once again roaming to her abdomen, to shield the doubt from her still small embryo.

Her mother came up behind her. "You know I once heard a story from my father, about a Miko who fell in love with a demon and battled time to be with him. Do you know how that story ended Kagome?"

"No... I don't." Her voice cracked, and her head fell as she tried not to cry.

"She became timeless, and found happiness with him, because of what she had become... a being that was no longer affected by the constraints of mortals and immortals."

Kagome looked at her mother, tears in her eyes. "Do you believe that story mom? Do you think it's true?"

Kagome's mom hugged her. "Yes, I know it's true. Now go, I love you so much," she whispered and left Kagome there to contemplate her next step. To decide if she would take the hand fate was offering her one last time. To go back and be with him.

Kagome looked into the well, and thought one more time. Thoughts of Sesshoumaru and her family swimming through her mind.

"If I we me, what would I do?" She whispered to the dark well house.

The miko smiled and jumped in.


	13. Epilouge

An: This epilogue is as angsty as the fic. If you liked how it ended you can 'not' read this and leave it at the previous ending. I swear this is the last time i will add to this fic. I am happy with how it has ended. Thank you Possessed and LC i love you ladies! I'll post the second part ASAP! It/s done i'm just going over it.

****

Kagome began to fall, her uncertainty fading as the light engulfed her. Goosebumps broke out all over her body as the light that usually cradled her to the feudal era seemed to swallow her whole. She watched in fascination as the light was absorbed into her body. The warmth and calmness she felt as she was lowered to ground, and the last of the light fading into her finger tips was soothing to her frayed nerves. She looked up to a familiar clear sky and a rope ladder that Miroku and Sango had woven for her.

She paused for a moment, considering her next move. What should she do, where should she go?

***

He had walked this path so many times. It had been a hundred years since the death of his brother, and for some reason Sesshoumaru always returned to this place. The familiar well came into his view. He felt a rush of relief that he could not explain or deny.

The vines wrapping the old well swayed with the wind... wait... there WAS no wind. Sesshoumaru eyed the moving plants as their motion became more violent. He felt no demonic aura but drew his sword anyway. Faster than an eye could see, he was next to the well, ready to face whatever creature was emerging from it. There, he waited, ready to destroy anything that would disturb this peaceful place.

***

Kagome sat down and the bottom o the well for a very long time. She moved some stones away thinking maybe a clue would fall from behind them, but she was only rewarded with bugs and dirt. The light above her began to fade to night. Inuyasha had not come for her, like he normally would. But for some reason this was ok with her. Kagome had come to terms with the loss of her friends and their happiness. She was here for an entirely different reason, for him.

The miko struggled with the ladder, her years of climbing it vivid in her memory, but the upper body strength not quite there. She fell once or twice before she started to make real progress. As she reached the mouth of the well, she saw the glint of metal in the moonlight.

***

Sesshoumaru was a patient demon, but the hours passed as he held his stance waiting for the thing to emerge. With the day fading, he had to fight the urge to sigh. It was not a good idea to confront an enemy in the confines of the well. He felt anger towards the creature daring to come to this sacred place; it belonged to him, the Lord of the Western Lands. It was given to him to protect by his only sibling. He had used that excuse for years as to why he returned to this place. His soul ached for something he could not grasp... it was small, almost too small, but there.

Kagome emerged to feel metal on her neck. Her anger flared. To be defeated now, after everything, would be too much. She lifted her eyes to the person who dared to touch her with their sword. His gold eyes widened in recognition as her blue eyes collided with his.

"Well that was easy," Kagome said.

"Miko... what are you doing here?" Sesshoumaru commanded, the confusion in his voice would be missed by anyone but Kagome.

"I'm trying to get out of this well, so if you could be so kind as to remove your sword, I would really appreciate it, Lord Sesshoumaru," she said, surprisingly calm for having the Killing Perfection's weapon at her throat.

Sesshoumaru backed away but did not return his sword to its sheath. Thoughts were racing through his mind. She could not be alive after this long... Why was she in the well? What was going on?

"Miko, what brings you back here as the undead?" he asked as he again raised his sword. It was the most logical reason for her sudden return.

"Did you just call me a zombie?" Kagome coughed out at his question. She fought the urge to run to him... to hug him, to feel his arms wrapping around her, telling her it was ok, that this was it. There would be no more times, no more lives, no more death for either of them. But she realized this Sesshoumaru didn't know her. She had to be smart about this.

They stood there for a moment or two, both analyzing the situation. Kagome became increasingly tired; the stress of this whole situation was very exhausting.

Then something happened. Recognition flashed on the demon's face and Kagome felt terror. She saw the flash as he moved, but he wasn't moving fast. In fact, he was moving very slowly.

Kagome blinked a few times before she realized he was coming at her. She did the only thing she could; she stepped out of his way. The demon's poison claws met with the well, melting it.

Sesshoumaru turned to see her behind him. 'How could a human move that fast?' Then he smelt it again. It was faint, but definitely there. This specter had his scent embedded in her blood. The bitch dared to trick him, to try manipulating him into thinking she was something from his past, something that was bound to him.

Kagome again saw his surprise and became even more confused but she didn't have time to dwell on it as he came at her again. This time faster, though not so much that she couldn't see him.

'When had he gotten so slow?' she thought. The miko held her hands out in front of her and the demon stopped in midair.

She looked up to see Sesshoumaru, stopped in time above her. Kagome looked at her hands and then back to the demon lord, confused by what was happening. It hit her then... she was a being outside of time. This was the effect of the light from the well. This is a very convenient thing, she thought, as she contemplated her next move. As things stood now, he would kill her. She wondered for a moment if this was the first time it had happened. Was this the first time she came back, only to die at his hand? That thought brought tears to her eyes. She feared she might have to repeat this.

She began to feel sick all of the sudden, the urge to empty her stomach's contents became very pushing. These nausea attacks had been occurring more frequently this month. Kagome lowered her hands and ran to the bushes where she took care of the need to vomit.

As she ran, Sesshoumaru felt whatever spell she had on him weakened, and then slowly break. Apparently the woman was ill, but that did not matter because soon her existence would end.

Released from the spell, he fell to the ground. She turned to face him and his claws wrapped around her throat, his eyes red as they bore into her. Her air quickly left her lungs with only the sound of a quiet sigh to betray her. She tried to cough but could not. Her powers began to burn under her skin, but he held her firm, even as his own skin began to smoke.

"Specter, you will answer me. What is your purpose here, and the meaning of your scent?" he spit out at her.

Kagome felt more tears prick at her eyes. Was this what it was like for him when he saw her in her time, the pain of seeing someone you love so much and to have them not recognize you? The pain was strong, but so was her need for air.

"You do not know what we have been through to get to this moment," she whispered as loud as she could. Her hands grabbed his wrist and she unleashed her powers. The flash of light blinded him and the burning forced him to let her go.

As she fell, she raised her left hand and froze him there.

Sesshoumaru was in shock. This little woman had become powerful. He remembered her to be determined, but to this extent was unfathomable. Yet that small something that ate at him seemed to be doing it now more than ever, forcing his mouth to run dry. The demon lord watched as the miko fell to the ground, her hand held up, keeping him there. For a second he felt the urge to help her as he saw her gasp on the ground, but quickly dismissed it.

Kagome regained much needed air and stood again. She would not die here, and neither would he. She would make that stubborn dog demon understand.

The miko approached him slowly. Her right hand resting over her abdomen protectively as she approached him, still holding up her left hand.

"You think you can defeat me?" he spat out at her as she got closer.

Kagome smiled softly at him. "Always so stubborn," she whispered.

The memories of everything that had happened before flooded her mind as she got close enough to touch him. Her right hand reached up and touched his cheek.

"You have to remember. I can't do this without you... Please! Have I not left enough of a mark on your soul?" she asked, as she held her tears back. Kagome made a decision then. If he can't remember, she won't be able to explain well enough for him to spare her life or that of her son.

She brought her left hand to his face as well, this was the only thing she could do, it worked in her time the miko hoped it would work now. Kagome leaned in closer to the killing perfection.

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe how stupid the girl was. She brought her left hand to him, taking the spell away. He flexed his claws as she leaned toward him.

'Please.' Kagome repeated in her mind, needing this one favour. Hoping the fates would grant her this one thing.

'That fool of a girl would lose her life now. How dare she mimic the dead and try to confuse him with his own scent?' Sesshoumaru moved quickly as his claw pierced the flesh of her side. The woman stopped moving toward him. A sad smile graced her features, her heartbreak almost louder to him than her bones.

Kagome now felt what she had feared... she would not survive this. Her physical pain was bearable compared to what this meant. Her free hand roamed to her abdomen for the last time.

"I'm sorry little one, I was not strong enough," she whispered, as she looked up to the love of her existence and the man who was ending it. Pain flooded her, and fear. Kagome's blue eyes met gold as she began to lose her breath.

"Sesshoumaru, if we are doomed to repeat this, I am so sorry. I tried, for so long, but... but... it wasn't enough," she gasped.

Kagome remembered her brother's words to her, about the tale of the woman. "... and the fates will allow her the peace she deserves."

Was this her peace, to finally die, to never come back? Kagome thought about it for a second, 'That would be fine. As long I can be with him one last time.'

"If this is our end, then I will take one more memory for myself," she said, as she leaned up with the last of her strength and kissed him.

***

Sesshoumaru truly believed this creature to be mad, her ranting was confusing him... then she leaned forward. Why he didn't avoid her lips was unknown to him. The second he felt the slight pressure on his mouth, his body betrayed him and he kissed her back softly.

Kagome felt his response, so happy that in this moment he would be this close. "I love you," she whispered, as her last breath left her.

He watched as she faded, confused by her behavior and her words, but her words to him were eating at him. As he watched, she began to glow with a blue light. The light engulfed him and a flood of memories filled him. Hundreds of lifetimes of loss, pain, and waiting overwhelmed his senses. Sesshoumaru began to feel agony he had never known. Her smell... he knew that smell for what it was, with a familiarity of hundreds of lifetimes... the smell of his mate carrying his heir. More memories filled him of their family and their children reminding him of all of the good times, the happiness.

His eyes bled red and his roar in anguish shook the very foundation of his lands.

"Kagome..." Sesshoumaru began to speak, his voice breaking under the pressure.

Prev - Next 


	14. Epilouge End

Sesshoumaru sat there for many moments, soaking in the memories... making every second less and less bearable. He still held her in his arms. He pulled his hand free from her side and held her closer, his breathing ragged.

Gradually, the demon lord laid her on the ground, his stunned mind swimming. At his side, temporarily forgotten, his father's sword pulsed. Sesshoumaru turned to it wide-eyed. He stood and quickly drew the sword to revive her, to hold her living being once again, to stop this unbearable pain, but the demons of the underworld were not there.

The sword slipped from his nerveless fingers, dropping carelessly onto the grass as Sesshoumaru fell to his knees. Chaotic thoughts raced through his mind as it settled in that she would not be returning to him. He rocked above her body... the shock, pain, and grief could not be denied or ignored. He knew what must be done, but he needed a few moments to deal with these overwhelming emotions.

Rising, Sesshoumaru sheathed the sword, gently cradled Kagome's body and took to the skies. As he flew, the fog in his mind covering their past lives began to fade. He recalled with growing clarity all the things they had done to try and avoid this, the pain of leaving her in the future to never come back, the pain of losing her over and over again. He remembered all the times he had died in her arms, the tears she had shed for him.

What had they done? Were they never to be allowed peace, to be together? The more he thought about it, the more he began to hate the fates.

When Sesshoumaru landed, he laid her down next to the spring. She was still so beautiful, even in death. The demon lord began to cleanse her body just as he had done so many times before, hoping that this time he could be numb, but the cruel fates would not grant him his wish.

Grieving and angry at failing once more, Sesshoumaru made a decision. By trying to avoid the pain of losing her and save her from their apparent destiny, he had been going about it all wrong, these hundreds of life times. Why should he try to appease the fates? Kagome was wrong when she said they were not meant to be. Sesshoumaru would no longer accept this outcome. She was his.

As Sesshoumaru set his resolve, his sword began to glow. Looking down at his love, he saw the bracelet on her arm began to glow in answer. Sesshoumaru drew his sword and watched as it pulsed again. Kagome's arm raised as the bracelet pulled in response to tenseiga.

Sesshoumaru felt his sword pulse in his hand again, pleading with him. How he knew was not really clear. The great dog demon nodded, allowing the sword to serve its master one last time, his sword dissipated from his hand.

The glowing light that was his father heirloom wrapped around Kagome and dissolved her bracelet. Soon the two lights engulfed the little miko and began to pulse as one.

Sesshoumaru watched in wonder as a third pulse began to beat and then a much fainter fourth. He held his breath waiting for hers, and then it was there.

She gasped and sat up abruptly, her hands automatically going to her stomach as she turned to him.

"The pup is fine," Sesshoumaru replied to her action, not moving for fear this was not real, a hallucination induced by grief.

Kagome stared at him, her lips were so dry. She noticed the empty sheath where Tenseiga usually rested and the bracelet absent from her wrist. "Well, apparently we had thought of everything." Kagome felt a sadness that this result had been considered, meaning she had made it this far only to perish at his hand before. Then she felt a cold sweat, he wasn't attacking her.

"You know then? You know of the nature of our situation?" she asked, as she noticed he was not moving towards her to finish what he had started earlier.

"Yes." Sesshoumaru replied, his knuckles white, his claws digging into his palms drawing blood.

Kagome examined him, recognizing the fear that she so rarely saw all of these years. The miko stood and wrapped her arms around him. Knowing well the overwhelming realization that is the time they have spent together. She said nothing.

Sesshoumaru nuzzled into her abdomen and breathed deeply. She was here, real, safe.

"Do you think this is done now miko?" he asked. He needed to hear that she knew something he did not, to give him reassurance as only she could. That she would not die of a disease in the next few decades, that he would not wait for hundreds of years to die in her arms, that his children could finally live on past the time loop that had been created.

Kagome smiled at his rare display of uncertainty, she was not completely sure. Something told her that now they could live, not out of fear or worry of the future and past, but for this life moment by moment. Just as is should be. "Yes, it is done," she whispered.

***

Kagome sat in the shrine where she had grown up. Sesshoumaru had thought this was a terrible idea, but she had to know. She lived outside of time, just as the story had said, so she never aged. The woman who sat down in front of her held a very small infant in her arms. Kagome smiled at the woman, her mother.

"I was just wondering if you needed some part-time help, since apparently you're busy." Kagome said, pointing to the child, remembering all of her children, and what they were like when they were that small.

The woman smiled, "That would be lovely, we don't pay much, but my father does need the help." she responded. "Would you like to hold her?"

Kagome smiled and agreed. Kagome looked down at the child, a big pair of brown eyes and a toothless grin greeted her. 'Brown eyes, thank kami.' she thought.

Kagome smiled back. "What's her name?" she asked, as she looked down at the infant that was not her.

The happy mother giggled at the adorable display. "Her name is..."

***

Kagome waved as she left.

"Did you find what you needed?" said a baritone voice, as a familiar hand wrapped around her waist.

"I did," she said, as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he pulled her close.

"And?" he asked, impatient to know. The fear that there might be repetition had caused him many sleepless nights these past hundreds of years.

"I am the only me in this time," Kagome replied.

"Good, I only need one," he whispered.

AN: AH it's done. Than you all so much for reading. Also as always the unedited versions of my fics are under my profile for Nobody at allsystemsred dot org i dint think this one is very different though. Thanks again!


End file.
